Justice Clarence Thomas declined to immediately hand Alabama Republicans a win Wednesday, but ordered their voting rights challengers to quickly defend a court-drawn congressional map that helped Democrats flip a deep-red state House seat.

Alabama’s Republican Attorney General requested emergency relief, asking the Supreme Court to immediately revive the state’s 2023 legislature-drawn congressional map after a lower court blocked it, ruling that the state must continue using a special-master map approved by the courts that created a second Black-opportunity district and helped elect Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in 2024. 

On Wednesday, Justice Thomas, who is assigned to the 11th circuit, declined to immediately restore the 2023 congressional map but also ordered the case’s voting rights plaintiffs to provide an explanation by Monday on why that legislature-drawn map should not be used.

Thomas’s ruling is the latest in a years-long redistricting saga that was given new life following an April Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the interpretation of a provision in the Voting Rights Act used by Democrats in their redistricting fights. Prior to the April ruling, the Supreme Court upheld a challenge to the state’s 2020 census-drawn map and a court-approved special-master map preferred by Democrats was implemented, which reshaped the state’s 2nd District and flipped a solidly GOP-held seat that gave Democrats another House seat.

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In its emergency application, Alabama argued an immediate stay was needed because the lower-court ruling «defies Callais, manipulates the Purcell principle, and offends the Constitution’s promise of equal protection for all.»

Alabama is leaning on the Supreme Court’s recent April ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which gave Republicans a new weapon against maps from left-wing voting rights activists by making it harder for them to force additional primarily minority districts under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

The decision from the Supreme Court ultimately fueled a wave of fresh redistricting efforts in GOP-led states, including Alabama, which used the Supreme Court’s new Louisiana v. Callais ruling to ask the justices to revisit the lower-court orders blocking the 2023 legislature-drawn map.

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In response to the Louisiana case’s ruling, the Supreme Court ruled earlier this month on May 11 that the lower court’s judgment blocking Alabama’s 2023 map should be vacated and sent back for another look. However, on Tuesday, the three-judge federal district court blocked the 2023 map and ordered the court-approved special master map to continue to be used, leading to Alabama’s request for emergency relief on Wednesday that was ruled on by Justice Thomas.

The Alabama State Capitol sits beneath a blue sky in Montgomery, Alabama. (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

The timing of Thomas’ order comes as Alabama officials have already tried to prepare for a rapid switch back to the 2023 map. 

After the Supreme Court’s earlier May 11 order sent the case back to the lower court, Gov. Kay Ivey called Aug. 11 special primaries for the affected 1st, 2nd, 6th and 7th Congressional Districts, saying the state was ready to move forward with its Alabama legislature-drawn map.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey participates in the homecoming ceremonies at halftime of the game between South Alabama Jaguars and Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Auburn, Alabama. (Stew Milne/Getty Images)

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Fox News Digital reached out to Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and the American Civil Liberties Union, which is acting as counsel for the left-wing voting rights plaintiffs in the case, but did not receive a response from either parties in time for publication.

Panamá se prepara para el inicio de una nueva temporada de llegada de ballenas jorobadas, uno de los espectáculos naturales más importantes del Pacífico panameño y que cada año moviliza a miles de turistas hacia distintos puntos costeros del país.

Con el arribo de los primeros cetáceos previsto para las próximas semanas, autoridades y organizaciones ambientales reforzaron las acciones de capacitación para atender emergencias relacionadas con estos mamíferos marinos.

En ese contexto, el Ministerio de Ambiente participó en una capacitación especializada sobre atención y desenmalle seguro de grandes ballenas, organizada junto a la Comisión Ballenera Internacional (CBI), la Universidad Marítima Internacional de Panamá (UMIP), Fundación MarViva, Fundación Panacetacea y la Red Nacional de Asistencia a Ballenas Enmalladas (RABEN) de México.

La jornada reunió a personal técnico, autoridades y comunidades costeras, quienes recibieron formación teórica y práctica sobre protocolos de rescate, evaluación de riesgos y técnicas de liberación de cetáceos atrapados en redes de pesca. Parte de los ejercicios se desarrolló en el mar con apoyo de embarcaciones del Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (SENAN) y la UMIP.

Panamá recibe cada año poblaciones de ballenas jorobadas provenientes tanto del Pacífico Norte como del Pacífico Sur. Las aguas cálidas del país funcionan como un refugio natural para el apareamiento, nacimiento y crianza de los ballenatos, principalmente entre julio y octubre, aunque algunos ejemplares comienzan a ser observados desde finales de mayo y junio.

Las principales zonas de avistamiento se concentran en el Archipiélago de Las Perlas, el Golfo de Chiriquí, Pedasí, el Parque Nacional Coiba y diversos sectores costeros de Veraguas y Darién. Estas áreas se han convertido en puntos clave para el turismo marino y ecológico de Panamá.

El avistamiento de ballenas representa además una importante actividad económica para comunidades costeras, operadores turísticos, hoteles, restaurantes y servicios de transporte marítimo. En varias regiones del Pacífico, la temporada de cetáceos genera un aumento significativo en la llegada de visitantes nacionales y extranjeros interesados en observar de cerca a estos animales.

Sin embargo, el crecimiento del turismo asociado a las ballenas también ha elevado las preocupaciones por la presión que enfrentan los cetáceos debido a la cercanía de embarcaciones turísticas y privadas. Especialistas advierten que en muchos casos los botes se acercan demasiado para obtener fotografías o videos, alterando el comportamiento natural de los animales.

Expertos señalan que estas prácticas pueden provocar estrés, afectar la comunicación entre madres y crías y alterar momentos clave como la alimentación, el descanso o la lactancia. También existe riesgo de colisiones con embarcaciones, especialmente en zonas donde coinciden varios operadores turísticos al mismo tiempo.

A esto se suman los casos de enmallamiento, considerados una de las amenazas más serias para las ballenas a nivel mundial. Los cetáceos pueden quedar atrapados accidentalmente en redes de pesca artesanal o industrial, provúandoles heridas profundas, agotamiento extremo e incluso la muerte.

La directora nacional de Costas y Mares del Ministerio de Ambiente, Digna Barsallo, indicó que este tipo de capacitaciones fortalece la capacidad de respuesta ante emergencias relacionadas con fauna marina. “Estas jornadas ayudan a mejorar capacidades técnicas para responder de manera segura a casos de ballenas enmalladas y promover coordinación entre instituciones, organizaciones y comunidades costeras”, expresó.

La capacitación contó con facilitadores internacionales de la Comisión Ballenera Internacional y de RABEN México, quienes compartieron experiencias sobre rescate de grandes cetáceos y el uso de herramientas especializadas para desenmallamientos seguros.

Organizaciones ambientales han insistido en la necesidad de reforzar las medidas de avistamiento responsable durante la próxima temporada. Entre las recomendaciones internacionales destacan mantener distancias prudentes, reducir la velocidad de navegación cerca de cetáceos y evitar persecuciones o maniobras invasivas.

Las autoridades consideran que el principal reto será mantener el equilibrio entre el auge del turismo marino y la conservación de especies que convierten a Panamá en uno de los corredores más importantes para las ballenas jorobadas en el Pacífico oriental.

FIRST ON FOX: The federal agency that oversees more than $126 billion in federal contracts is joining Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force, expanding the White House crackdown into the federal government’s contracting system.

The General Services Administration (GSA) calls itself the «engine of government» and serves as the federal government’s central contracting and real estate agency, overseeing the buildings, services and goods agencies rely on to operate. By joining the task force, GSA gives one of the Trump administration’s highest-profile accountability efforts access to its procurement data, acquisition expertise and cross-agency reach as the White House seeks to root out fraud in public programs.

«GSA sits at the center of the federal acquisition and contracting ecosystem, making us a critical force in the fight against fraud,» GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst said in a press release obtained by Fox News Digital. 

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«We are proud to join Vice President Vance and this Task Force to aggressively identify abuse, strengthen oversight and protect the integrity of federal procurement. GSA will bring advanced analytical capabilities, investigative support and cross-government coordination to help expose high-risk fraud patterns and stop bad actors from exploiting taxpayer-funded systems,» Frost continued. 

The White House’s task force is a coalition of federal agencies created by President Donald Trump through an executive order to coordinate efforts to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in federal programs. Chaired by Vice President JD Vance, the task force focuses on improving eligibility verification, strengthening payment controls, sharing data across agencies and helping law enforcement disrupt fraud schemes.

Vance says anti-fraud funding will be cut to states that don’t respond to Medicaid letters. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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The GSA has historically had some problems with improper payments. 

In February, for instance, the agency’s Office of Inspector General released a report finding that «federal customer agencies relying on GSA pricing on schedule contracts are at risk of overpaying» due to failures from government contracting officers or inaccurate information submitted by contractors.

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Vice President JD Vance convened the first meeting of a new anti-fraud task force, criticizing the Biden administration for weakening longstanding protections. The Trump administration originally launched the federal task force led by Vance to investigate and recover fraudulent spending in programs like Medicare and Medicaid. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

The White House fraud task force was established in March, and has racked up a few early wins in the weeks since. Law enforcement, working in conjunction with the task force, arrested eight people in California on suspicion of defrauding public healthcare services out of more than $50 million.

The task force also withheld $1.4 billion in federal funding from home health and hospice providers suspected of defrauding the government.

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«GSA’s participation reinforces a whole-of-government strategy focused on restoring accountability, strengthening operational integrity and ensuring federal programs deliver results for the American people,» the press release reads.

«By combining the Task Force’s investigative mission with GSA’s government-wide infrastructure and procurement expertise, the administration is accelerating efforts to increase transparency, improve efficiency, and reinforce public trust in federal operations.»